The skiff Paku

The skiff Paku is a Pete Culler design lapstrake pulling boat, another variation of the traditional fishing vessel. Light on it's skeg, nimble in a wave, the Culler skiff accommodates a three person team of rowers, yet is easy to maneuver by a single adept. !8 feet of length and a beam of five feet make her a stable sailing vessel.
Doryman acquired Paku in a neglected state and has restored her some dignity. She was designed with a sailing rig, which was never completed or has been lost. A mast and sail will be added this winter as a full compliment to her grace and beauty.

My partner, AKA Boatguy

Rick Johnson has worked as a shipwright for forty years and is a true craftsman. Also a font of knowledge. It is my pleasure and good fortune to work with Rick in his shop repairing and restoring wood boats of all types and classifications. In these shots, Captain Rick and Doryman lift the finished Paku onto it's trailer (see previous blogs about Paku).
Rick and I recently participated in the wooden boat show in Depoe Bay, Oregon by building a sixteen foot rowing skiff as a demonstration of traditional boat building methods. It was a blustery weekend with weather ranging from cool sunshine to snow, but boat enthusiasts showed up regardless and we all had a good time.
Watch for future postings about the 16 foot skiff from the Depoe Bay show. It's a fun project and would be a good starter for someone interested in traditional wood boat building and could be built at home in your garage.

Lug Sail for Paku

The Pete Culler Skiff, Paku needs a sail rig. The plans by the master of small boat design call for a sprit rig, but (not to contradict Captn' Pete) I like the versatility of the balanced lug and it's an attractive sail, too. I don't think Pete would be offended.
At least that's where I am today. I have a very nice old solid, round spruce stick about fifteen feet tall and about three inches in diameter at the mast step. I'd convert a spruce mast I made a few years ago for the boom and the light boom that went with that rig would be the yard. The combined weight of these three sticks is probably thirty five pounds.



The skiff is narrow and flat bottomed, so the risk is making the sail too large or the rig too heavy. It may be necessary to add lead weight to the centerboard to increase the lateral resistance and stability.
Here are some very good tips on rigging and tuning a lug sail.









I'd have to build a centerboard and a rudder. Then the Marine Board will require a license. In my opinion, a small row boat with an auxiliary sail need not be registered any more than the row boat without the sail, but that's a topic for another day.
(There's some legislation afoot that would require a fee for "non-registered" boats, which are all small human powered vessels currently exempt, yet another controversial subject.)

I just have to know how this little skiff handles in a stiff breeze!
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Doryman's Boatyard

Tweezerman has asked the question and henceforth I am not responsible.
Since the addition of Lively to the fleet, the question is "how many?"
When the weather was sunny, I wanted to take a turn around the Doryman boatyard with a video camera, but when the weather is warm, Doryman is either working or sailing on a boat.

So, as the (unusual) freezing weather takes hold here on the coast, we'll take a pictorial tour instead. (It's pretty hard to build boats when it's 20 degrees F)


First is the bateau Huckleberry. She's a take on John Harris' Peace Canoe.When building Huckleberry, I thought I would shorten the canoe as planned, so that it would be the length of two sheets of marine grade mahogany plywood, thus saving the price of the remaining sheet.








The plans call for installing the sheer guard and chine log to the side panels before completing the boat. I used an African mahogany called Oboto, which resisted bending so much that Huckleberry ended up with a transom. Thus are new designs made!








Next up is the wherry yawlboat Lamb Chop. She is built of Port Orford cedar on yew wood frames. This little tender was used on the island of Nashawena in Massachusetts to rescue sheep who had fallen on the beaches and bring them to higher ground. Because of this, the boat has come to be known as the "sheep boat". Thus; Lamb Chop.
Pete Culler, famous for his yachty interpretations of working boats is responsible for this little wherry yawlboat.
































The Rhodes 33 Caper is a project in process. This classic boat is an orphan waiting to be loved. I am keeping her alive with infusions of TLC during the summer months that allow work outside. If I were a younger man, this fine old vessel would get a complete work-over, she deserves the best! Hopefully someone will take her to a good home. She is planked with African mahogany over oak frames.



















Love of my life! The Pete Culler Good Little Skiff Paku! She came to me as a pile of boards and with two years of loving restoration, this is the result. Constructed of cedar planking on mahogany frames, with a cross planked bottom of African mahogany, Paku is a durable skiff and beautiful, too.
Once again, Pete Culler outdoes himself.

She leaves me speechless.
























Sandy Douglas designed the Thistle racing dinghy in 1945 and this is hull #16 of that one-design class. Sweet Sixteen was built in 1946, the first year of Thistle production and was another old boat on the skids. It took three months of research to learn how she was originally designed. One-design rules dictate that the boats be held to a strict standard to be raced. There is no reason this 63 year old wood boat would not be competitive with a modern Thistle (made of plastic). She's a dream to sail, but I have to sell her. Can't keep 'em all, I guess!
























Mistral is my self designed/built 36 foot, five ton cruising dory. The design for this boat was conceived in 1989 and construction started in 1990. From then until now, I figure there are about 12,000 hours spent on her. The greatest fault with taking twenty years to build a boat is all the changes that can happen to the boat, and to the builder! The sail rig was an afterthought, so you might imagine what that entailed! She has not had a proper mainsail yet, but will as soon as the handwork is done. Stay tuned!


























Newest to the fleet is the Ed Monk 15’-6” Knockabout, Lively. Lots of fun! A simple and attractive plywood skiff, with thoroughbred sailing characteristics, easy to trailer and launch - we are very likely to hear more about Lively in the months to come.

With a new mainsail, I may be tempted to race her, she's that good!
























The boat in the shed is one of Sam Devlin's original Egrets. This boat was given to me this year and I think she deserves some attention. Can't say much about her yet, but when she's re-launched you'll be the first to know.

























One of the first boats I built is the 13 foot light dory Otter. A dory is measured on it's bottom. Otter is 15 feet over-all, built of fir plywood with stitch and glue construction.





After 30 years and many changes and upgrades, I gave her away this year. She's a great little boat and never shipped a single drop in all the trials I've put her through.

Her new owner has dressed her in all the finest.

When I see her again, I'll let you know...











This is a 20 foot Old Town Freight Canoe named Woody.

No, I didn't name her.

I had this idea that I would take this rare old canoe and fit her with oars, since the bursitis in my shoulders makes paddling very painful. She would be more like a peapod. I think this would have been a good idea, but as the boat's old luster began to surface, it became apparent that the canoe should remain true to it's heritage.

A 20' wooden freight canoe is a rare find.


As it turned out, Woody went back to it's previous owner who was intrigued by the fine looking boat that emerged from the dust.















The little dory and the canoe gave way to plans for new boats. (Can't have enough boats!;-)






First up on the list of new construction is an 18 foot Chesapeake Light Craft kayak. The plans are on my desk.












Sanpierota plans! I can't tell you how excited I am about this new boat. The sanpierota is an ancient Venetian design, and is still occasionally found there.
But I doubt if there is a sanpierota in the US, so I hope to be the first. The plans came from Gilberto Penzo in Italy and are notated in Italian and lofted out in metric. I don't read Italian and have never built a boat to metric specifications, so this boat is scheduled for next year to give me time to get up to speed!









Doryman is behaving like the kid in the proverbial candy store.

Too much Fun!

If I had a better memory, we could take a journey back to all the boats I've owned and built, but you've been given a reprieve for now...
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Fort Worden TSCA Messabout 2012

I have a lot to tell you about, as the summer sailing season draws to a close and we'll start with last weekend's Puget Sound Traditional Small Craft Association messabout in Port Townsend, Washington.

It's a full days journey to reach Fort Worden, at the confluence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Admiralty Inlet, from the mid-Oregon coast. It may seem a long haul for a one day event, but I try to make it every year because the sailing, camaraderie and potluck are superlative.

This year was no exception. There were quite a few new faces and new boats on the beach, as you will see from the photos. Unfortunately I didn't make the rounds as well as I'd like, to get everyone's story, because the Navy was on maneuvers with an aircraft carrier and it's accompanying flotilla. You might wonder how ships two or three miles away could impact a bunch of boats on the beach, so I'll tell you...

One minute it's a calm sunny day on the beach at Fort Worden. Then two miles away, in Admiralty Inlet, an aircraft carrier goes by. It's so far away, you hardly notice until it's wake hits the beach fifteen minutes later. Look closely in the distance of this photo and you'll see the culprit, seemingly drifting by harmlessly.




The Swamping of Paku from doryman on Vimeo.

I grab the painter as the surf takes control of the beached Good Little Skiff, Paku and watch helplessly as the swell increases for an indeterminable time. At last, she is pooped and sinks on the sand with a hundred gallons of water and sand holding her to the bottom.

A sinking feeling.





The breezes were light and provided some comfortable sailing. The best way to avoid being pooped and sunk on the beach is to cast off for deep water and set sail! Every sailor knows the dangers of a lee shore and the relief of finding clear, open water.

As usual, the photos can be found on Doryman's Flickr site:

 

Paku on the Yaquina River

When the weather breaks in the fall, it's best to be on the water, as we all know. And when you have the tide running with you, it's even better.
So, this is what it looks like from both ends of the boat...


Rowing on the Yaquina from doryman on Vimeo.


Two Knot Current from doryman on Vimeo.

Overcast but very little rain and the Good Little Skiff Paku on the Yaquina River, All Hallows Eve 2009.
It's a yearly tradition.

We are each the other's favorite company.
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A Good Day for Rowing

The rain let up today and the temperature was in the mid 50's, so it was time to head for the boat ramp.

The worthy Pete Culler skiff, Paku was the candidate vessel and a very good choice, too. Despite the calm, balmy weather the wind picked up twice (each time in opposing directions and both times, on the bow. How does that happen, exactly?) So the stable, easy going manner of the good little skiff was a relief.







Since Chris Partridge has been talking quite a bit about mirrors for rowers lately, I took with me a mirror that I've used while riding my bicycle. The little mirror fits on the temple of a pair of glasses and presents a very small image, so takes a bit of getting used to. The view is limited, but clear. It's also backward (pun intended). In addition, it blocks a portion of the view forward (which is looking back - you see?). A bit distracting at first. I'm pretty well oriented to interpreting the image, but have only used it a couple times while rowing.

Today was a perfect test. I wore the mirror while rowing for three hours and never turned my head all the way around once, not even while docking. By panning my head back and forth, I could get a good view of both my course and any obstacles.



It's the fear of obstacles that brought up this conversation in the first place. At the least, it's embarrassing to hit something while pulling hard on the oars (you always hear comments like "that's what you get for sitting backwards!").
At the other extreme, I've hit an old barnacle encrusted piling hard enough to crack the shear guard and plank, which woke me up real fast, I'll tell you!






Here's a view of the river I row on. Sometimes those crusty pilings are barely above the surface at high tide and nearly invisible. Not to mention the partially submerged logs that float up after a particularly high tide.








The little mirror worked so well that I was able to shoot under this bridge, without looking forward. Both ways! Maybe you don't think that's such a big deal, but this opening is about 22 feet wide and my oars are 17 feet, grip to grip. The hard part was to trust it was actually working and not turn around, just to be sure.

Pete Culler's Wherry Yawlboat

Doryman is currently in negotiation for this finely crafted ship's yawl, built from plans by the Captain himself.







My friend Steven is playing coy, but I think we are getting close to an agreed price. Steven is the builder responsible for the Good Little Skiff, Paku and this little tender was built around the same time, about 30 years ago.




There is a bigger story here, but we'll get into that when I bring her home. Hopefully I'm not jumping the gun.

Pete Culler's work is simply gorgeous! And so is Steven's. Pretty exciting!